Welcome to our range of rare vinyl, produced exclusively for Record Collector readers.

Why is a magazine pressing albums? It’s a logical move for us. Like you, we know what we like. And we know how hard it is to find what we like. We too have been burnt by inferior reissues of rare records which turned out to be badly mastered, badly pressed junk. Our staff are fully aware of the risks of shelling out a fortune for an original copy of an album that either turns out to be the wrong thing, a bootleg or in a condition that’s “not as described”. Well, we got sick of it. And it seemed to us that if there’s a better way of doing things, we ought to be doing it. Hence our Rare Vinyl Series.

Our first step was the release of Pussy’s Pussy Plays, in September 2009. Our readers liked it and it sold out in a matter of months. It set a precedent for the Rare Vinyl Series. The idea is simple: do it right. Select a stupidly rare, highly-sought-after album – often a private pressing. Sign a deal with the original band or owners of the rights – this is all above board, not a dodgy pirate deal. Reproduce the original sleeve and label perfectly, right down to the paper quality – if there was no sleeve or no label, that’s how it will have to be. Seek out the best-possible source to master from, usually the original master tape if it survives. Produce a high-quality pressing to the highest standards. Talk to the artists concerned to get the full story behind the making of the record. And strictly limit the edition’s numbers so that when it’s all sold, there are no more to mysteriously appear on the market – when you buy a Record Collector album, it is not going to lose its value. Each album is sent out with a certificate of authenticity signed by Ian Shirley, the Editor of the Rare Record Price Guide, so you know it’s the real deal.

Our Rare Vinyl Series has gone from strength to strength over the past four years. We’ve pressed original material that was never issued – such as Wellington’s Wellington and Cressida’s Trapped In Time – The Lost Tapes – and found an equal hunger for this amazing, missing-in-action music. We’ve released a rare reggae LP which sold out in less than a month, and even given away a punk EP to new subscribers. In June 2013 we launched Plankton, which marks the opening of our Modern Collectables Series, which will bring you the best of sought-after music from recent years. The response to our records has been amazing, with the early albums fast becoming collectors’ items in their own right.

Why is a magazine pressing albums? Because we’re serious about music – and we know that you are serious about music too. So let’s do it the right way, and finally allow you – and us – to delight in some of this truly great music that’s languished unappreciated and unknown for decades…

The records in our Rare Vinyl series shown above are still available so buy a copy quick before they run out…